Twenty-nine NFL scouts made their way to Durham, N.C., on Wednesday for Duke’s Pro Day. And they were given quite a show.

Senior receiver Max McCaffrey, the oldest of son of Ed and Lisa McCaffrey, ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, according to NFL Draft Bible. Although he wasn’t invited to the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis last month, Max’s time would have ranked as the third-fastest among receivers there and tied for 10th overall.

Trust me, he gets those sprinting genes from his mom's Sime side of the family tree! But the McCaffreys can jump! https://t.co/8A0SoB50JG

A Valor Christian graduate, Max caught 52 passes for 643 yards and five touchdowns last season at Duke, and totaled 117 catches for 1,341 yards and 12 touchdowns in his four-year career.

Max’s three younger brothers — Heisman finalist and Stanford running back, Christian; Valor quarterback and Michigan commit, Dylan; and sophomore Valor quarterback, Luke — as well as his parents were in attendance for his Pro Day. As was Broncos running back and Duke alum Juwan Thompson.

FORT COLLINS — Colorado State assistant coach Marty English was the good soldier last season, accepting the trade-off.

He was able to remain on the CSU staff under Mike Bobo as linebackers coach, but relinquished the co-defensive coordinator title he held under Jim McElwain.

He’s back.

Tyson Summers, Bobo’s defensive coordinator, left to become head coach at Georgia Southern, and after pondering — and taking the inevitable phone calls, texts and emails inquiring about the position — Bobo decided to stay in-house and restore English to the job.

So when the coordinators joined Bobo at a Tuesday news conference to preview spring practices, which open Friday, it again was Will Friend — who also coaches the offensive line — representing the offense and English representing the defense. (My story on Bobo’s session will be in the Wednesday paper and online.)

Even away from the field, English’s value to the program is immense, and perhaps more so under Bobo, who never had coached outside the southeast, with his long stint at Georgia, and a single season at Jacksonville State in Alabama.

After playing on a Division II national championship team at Northern Colorado, English coached at his alma mater for 16 seasons and Wyoming for nine before joining the McElwain staff in 2012. That’s a lot of regional knowledge, and this is a guy who didn’t need to be told how to find, say, Arvada West High and might even have been able to differentiate between the approximately 114 high schools in the state with either “Ridge,” “Vista,” “View” and “Mountain” in their names.

Plus, he could coach.

Now English is back running a defense that lost a host of starters –including Martavius Foster, Justin Hansen, Terry Jackson, Joe Kawulok, Cory James, DeAndre Elliott, Trent Matthews and Kevin Pierre-Louis — and is going back to the 3-4 base it employed before last season’s short-lived switch to the 4-3.

“There’s going to be a lot of living and learning here this spring,” English said Tuesday, looking ahead to the Friday opening of spring practice. “We need to see how the new guys in the defense are going to mesh with this. But for who we have and what we need to do, I think they’re going to pick it up pretty fast and run with it. . . We lost a lot of kids, but it’s OK because we’re approaching this very positively.”

English said he believed the Rams were suited for the 3-4 because of “personnel, what we recruit, what we do.” He added, “As much as anything, our offense needs to see the 3-4. It’s kind of what a lot of people in the league are starting to do and it’s something we had done. Even the last year I was here with McElwain, we could say we based out of the 3-4, but we were a four-down front and we were in nickel a lot. Those kinds of things don’t change, that’s going to be there.

“Because we’re a 3-4 (team), it doesn’t mean we’re only going to be in a three-down front all the time. It’s going to have its times where it fits, and there are going to be times we’re going to have to be in a four-down front … It all blends. We’re a multiple defense. But being able to base our personnel out of the 3-4 is something that’s good and to also give it to our offense.”

The defense’s biggest challenge is to get away from its befuddling tendency to give up big plays last season. The Rams often didn’t bend … until they suddenly broke.

“That’s us, attention to detail in the way that we’re going to coach them in the little things,” English said.

Colorado’s Josh Scott (40) is guarded by Connecticut’s Shonn Miller, left, during a first-round men’s college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 17, 2016. Connecticut won 74-67. (Nati Harnik, The Associated Press)

Here’s a look at how players who played at Colorado high schools fared in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament:

Colorado

Josh Scott: Scott had the biggest game among former Colorado high school players. The senior forward scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, leading all players in a 74-67 loss to No. 8 Connecticut on Thursday.

Baylor forward Taurean Prince (21) reacts as he is charged with a foul in the second half against Yale during the first round of the NCAA college men’s basketball tournament in Providence, R.I., Thursday, March 17, 2016. Yale defeated Baylor 79-75. (Charles Krupa, The Associated Press)

After the No. 3 Baylor Bears were upset by No. 14 Yale 79-75 in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Bears forward Taurean Prince was asked how the Bulldogs outrebounded his team during the post-game press conference.

Arkansas Little Rock guard Josh Hagins reacts after hitting three-point basket against Purdue in the second half of a first-round men’s college basketball game Thursday, March 17, 2016, in the NCAA Tournament in Denver. Arkansas Little Rock won 85-83 in double overtime. (Photo By David Zalubowski, AP)

Little Rock senior guard Josh Hagins came up the court with venom in his eyes and a Goliath to slay. Despite being smothered by a Purdue defender, Hagins pulled up about five feet beyond the three-point line and drained a contested jumper to tie and send the game to overtime.

After the clutch three, Hagins immediately trotted to the Little Rock fan section where a loud and heavily engaged crowd roared. Hagins pointed to former Lakers and Little Rock guard Derek Fisher and said “this was for you, this was for you.” Fisher smiled and pointed back at Hagins, who was then mobbed his teammates.

“Obviously, I want to follow in his footsteps,” Hagins said. “But, you know, Derek Fisher, man, he means everything to Arkansas-Little Rock.”

Hagins said Fisher met with the team and shook his hand before the game. Hagins is hopeful that he can leave a portion of the impact that Fisher left on Little Rock.

Little Rock took down Purdue 85-83 in double overtime. Hagins had 31 points, but none more important than the three at the end of regulation. The Trojans, 30-4, are tied for the fewest losses in the NCAA. First-year coach Chris Beard, with the help of seniors like Hagins, has engineered the turnaround.

Colorado’s Josh Scott, playing against Arizona State earlier this season, had 23 points and 11 rebounds Thursday in his final college game, a 74-67 loss to UConn in the NCAA Tournament. (David R. Jennings, Daily Camera)

DES MOINES, Iowa — The stat line mattered little to Josh Scott as he looked down from the podium, the pain of the loss that ended his college career still fresh on his face.

Scott finished his career at Colorado with 23 points and 11 rebounds in the Buffs’ 74-67 first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Connecticut, the 36th double-double of his impressive four-year career in Boulder.

“I don’t think I’ve ever coached a young man that I felt this way about at the end of his career in terms of his deserving to move on in this tournament,” CU coach Tad Boyle said.

March doesn’t also do fair. Still, it was hard not to appreciate the way Scott ended. The hurt searing in the moments after the loss, he went through the locker room and hugged each one of his teammates.

“Not sure I’ve seen a senior do that,” Boyle said. “They’re usually waiting on someone to give them a hug.”

Scott’s inspired play helped the Buffaloes grab the lead early, up by as many as 11 in the first half. He worked hard for deep post position, finishing with his soft left hook or making one of his 18 trips to the free-throw line, a CU record for an NCAA Tournament game — as were his 13 makes.

In the second half, the Huskies clamped down on Scott, forcing him to catch the ball further from the basket, where his battering ram shoulder was less effective. Still, Scott scratched and clawed his way for 10 more points in the second half.

“Scott is a terrific player,” UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. “I tell my guys all the time, you have to fight. But he’s huge down there. He gets to the free-throw line. He’s crafty.”

Boyle said earlier this season that he’d probably be soaked in tears at the team’s end-of-season banquet, when he officially says good buy to the player who has helped him elevate the program while making trips to three NCAA Tournament games.

“He’s grown in so many way,” Boyle said. “That’s why you coach, to see that transformation of these young men from their freshman year to their senior year. He gives it everything he’s got.”

Overland’s De’Ron Davis talks to reporters about his decision to sign at Indiana University at Overland High School on Nov. 12, 2015 in Aurora. (Brent Lewis, The Denver Post)

DES MOINES, Iowa — The night before he learned his team would begin its NCAA Tournament run in Iowa, Indiana coach Tom Crean was huddled with his staff, watching De’Ron Davis play his final high school game miles away in Boulder.

“I was definitely excited,” Crean said of watching Davis and Overland capture the school’s second straight championship with a victory over Eaglecrest on Saturday. “I was nervous when he got that third foul with 7:12 left in the second quarter. But we all had it on. That’s the power of DirecTV. It was great. I got to be out there a little over a month ago to see him play in person, and I’m proud of him.”

Davis did indeed foul out in the fourth quarter, but the Trailblazers had the game in hand. All that was left was the celebrating. Davis did plenty, leaping into the stands to lead chants with his classmates, then wrapping his mother Terri in an emotional embrace.

Now, he will be headed to Bloomington, continuing a relationship that began before he entered high school. And Crean said he couldn’t be more excited.

“I mean, that’s what you want to recruit,” Crean said. “You want to recruit pure winners. His is. He’s a pure winner and he has been in the spotlight in Colorado for a long time. We offered him a scholarship when he was going into the ninth grade. I love his upside. He’s got talent, great spirit. He’s got tremendous loyalty, and that’s the kind of thing I’m looking for.

“Thomas Bryant (Indiana’s freshman center) is like that, when you feel that connection with somebody before they ever get to your campus. It makes it that much better when they get there. His game will expand. Danny (Fisher, Overland’s coach) did a great job with him. That the entire group, the Hawks (Davis’ AAU team) did a great job with him, and it will be fun to have him because he’s going to get nothing but better. He’s an undervalued shooter. He can play in the post, rebound, block shots, run the floor. He’s a very, very undervalued shooter, and I think that’s where he’s going to make some real strides.”

Arkansas-Little Rock head coach Chris Beard wears a shirt with message on his back as he holds out his injured right hand during practice for a first-round men’s college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament , March 16, 2016, in the NCAA Tournament in Denver. (David Zalubowski, The Associated Press)

“Being a bit nosy, what happened to your hand,” a reporter asked Beard about the large cast on his right hand.

Beard smiled.

“Last Sunday in our championship game in the Sunbelt Conference, we were playing against a very well-coached team, Monroe, we had a lot of respect for. We were not playing our best half. We were down five at half. I made a bad decision in the locker room trying to get the guys a little fired up. We talk a lot about boxing in our program. We’re a good defensive team. We believe in boxing, kind of footwork. But unfortunately I didn’t get the message with the handwork. A dry erase board took a bad shot.”

Beard said he would be in the cast for about six weeks, but it wouldn’t prohibit him from coaching in the tournament.

“I’ll be there,” Beard said. “If I had one leg and one eye, I’ll make it. I’ve worked my whole life to coach in a game like this.”

Arkansas-Little Rock head coach Chris Beard wears a shirt with message on his back as he holds out his injured right hand during practice for a first-round men’s college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament , March 16, 2016, in the NCAA Tournament in Denver. (David Zalubowski, The Associated Press)

Arkansas-Little Rock coach Chris Beard and players Roger Woods and Josh Hagins talked with the media Wednesday on the eve of their NCAA Tournament first-round game against Purdue at the Pepsi Center.

On playing with Denver’s altitude…Woods: We started practice. We practiced kind of hard. Tried to get a little bit of fatigue out of the way at the beginning, so it could be just like second nature during the course of the game.

On the challenges Purdue presents…Hagins: Naturally rebounding. I think that’s the biggest team in the country, if I’m not mistaken. But rebounding, it’s an issue that we’re kind of concerned about. Read more…

University of Colorado assistant coach Rodney Billups listens to Coach Tad Boyle talk to the team after practice on March 15, 2016 at the Coors Event Center before departing for the NCAA Tournament game against the University of Connecticut. (Jeremy Papasso, Daily Camera)

DES MOINES, Iowa — George King wanted to make it clear Wednesday. Rodney Billups is still a Buff — for now.

Whenever Colorado’s run in the NCAA Tournament ends, Billups, a CU assistant for the past six seasons, will begin his duties as the new head coach at the University of Denver. But he is sticking around through the postseason, where he has been a vital part of the program’s success.

“I think coach Billups probably gives us the most confidence individually, especially for me,” CU junior forward Wesley Gordon said. “He’s a guy who can connect to his players because he’s so young and her understands what we’re going through. So I think our one-one-one connection with coach Billups is very great.”

Added Josh Scott: “He fights for us. He stands by his guys, and that’s what’s going to make him a good coach.”

DU announced the hiring of Billups on Monday. He replaces Joe Scott, who was fired after nine seasons.

But he’s not a Pioneer yet.

“As of now, coach Billups is still a Buffalo,” King said. “So he has a job to to finish here with the Buffaloes, and he understands that and we understand that. Until then, he will be a Buffalo. Like Wes said, with him being a younger guy, he’s just like one of us. He will be truly missed, but he’s got to move on.”

Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie has received great play from graduate transfers Sterling Gibbs and Shonn Miller (The Associated Press)

DES MOINES, Iowa — It has been described as college basketball’s free agency.

More and more, graduate transfers are making major impacts on programs across the country. These are players who graduate from one school with another year of eligibility remaining and transfer to another school to play one final season.

Connecticut, Colorado’s opponent in the first round of the NCAA Tournament here Thursday (11:30 a.m. MDT, TNT), has been boosted in a major why by two such players this season — guard Sterling Gibbs and forward Shonn Miller, two of the four Huskies averaging at least 12 points per game.

“They came in and played some productive basketball for us,” UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. “So they were able to find their voices in the locker room.”

Gibbs played his freshman season at Texas, where he averaged 2.6 points in 30 games. He then transferred to Seton Hall, where he made a big impact for the Pirates in two seasons. This season, Gibbs has been a steadying force for the American Athletic Conference Tournament champion Huskies, averaging 12 points and shooting 39 percent from the floor.

“They accepted me as a brother and they accepted me as a teammate, and that made it a lot easier,” Gibbs said of his transfer to UConn.

Miller came to UConn this season with an Ivy League degree in hand. He played three seasons at Cornell, missing his junior season after suffering a shoulder injury. That left him with one season of eligibility, and he’s made the most of his big-college chance, leading the Huskies in scoring at 12.8 points per game.

Both players said the chance to make the NCAA Tournament was one of the biggest reasons for transferring to UConn.

“It was an up-and-down season, but I never questioned whether I should have gone somewhere else,” Miller said. “We don’t want to just be here. We want to make a deep run.”

There has been plenty of debate about the graduate transfer rule in college basketball, with some suggesting those transfers should also have to sit out a year, thus spending two years at their new schools to actually have a chance to pursue a graduate degree.

But there’s no debating this: The Huskies probably would not be in the position they’re in if not for their two big additions.

Eight teams will be practicing at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday, ahead of their first round games in the NCAA basketball tournament on Thursday. The 40-minute sessions are free, open to the public and run from noon through 7:20 p.m.

J.D. Paige (22) of the Colorado State Rams looks to pass the ball around Karachi Edo (4) of the Fresno State Bulldogs during a semifinal game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 11, 2016 in Las Vegas. (Jeff Bottari, Getty Images)

Colorado State’s 2015-16 men’s basketball season is over after the team declined invitations to the College Basketball Invitational and Vegas 16 tournaments, coach Larry Eustachy announced Monday.

“We appreciate the opportunities those tournament committees gave us in extending invitations, but it just is not in the best interest of the overall program,” Eustachy said in a news release. “We are excited for what this team can be next year and are going to start focusing on that after we give the players some time off.”

The Rams finished the season with an 18-16 record after losing to Fresno State in the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament. CSU has enjoyed the program’s best four-year period during Eustachy’s time as coach, winning a record 87 games in that span for a record of 87-48.

Colorado’s Josh Scott goes to the basket against Arizona States’ Eric Jacobsen during the Feb. 28, 2016 men’s basketball game at the University of Colorado’s Coors Event Center. (David R. Jennings, Daily Camera)

Colorado Buffaloes forward Josh Scott was named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season, the conference announced Monday.

The senior averaged 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks to lead the Buffaloes to wins over Arizona and Arizona State.

The honor is Scott’s seventh in his collegiate career. On the season, he leads Colorado in scoring (16.7 points) and rebounding (8.8). He is also a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award finalist, which is given to the nation’s best big man.

The Colorado State women’s basketball team (24-1) was ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press poll released Monday. It is the first time since 2002 that the Rams have cracked the list.

“It is great recognition for our program and for the hard work this team has put in, but it isn’t going to change our approach to everything we do,” head coach Ryun Williams said in a news release. “From the beginning, our goals have always been ones we can control; top 25 voting is something we cannot control.”

The Rams are on a school-record 21 game winning streak, the second longest active in the country behind Connecticut. Their sole blemish on the season was a 49-48 loss at Penn on Nov. 24.

In his fourth season as coach, Williams has transformed the program. After compiling an 11-19 record in his first season, the Rams went 25-8 and 23-8 in each of the past two.

“We know that we are going to continue to get every opponent’s best effort — maybe even more so now — and we are going to have to continue to play well to reach our ultimate goal,” Williams said.

Colorado State’s Rashard Higgins makes a catch in the final seconds between Utah State’s Frankie Sutera, left, and Jalen Davis during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014, in Fort Collins. Colorado State won 16-13. (Erin Hull, The Coloradoan)

Colorado State finalized its 2017 nonconference football schedule Wednesday.

To kick off their first game in the new on-campus stadium (and create an answer for a future trivia question), the Rams will host Abilene Christian on Sept. 9, 2017.

Oregon State will come to Fort Collins on Sept. 23, 2017, as part of a home-and-home series. CSU travels to Corvallis, Ore., on Sept. 12, 2020.

“We also want to play the most competitive schedule we can, and deliver to our fans the opportunity to see quality competition,” Rams head coach Mike Bobo said in a news release. “Our 2017 non-conference schedule, with two opponents from the Pac-12 and one from the SEC will provide our program with the type of competition we need to prepare our team for Mountain West play.”

CSU’s Mountain West 2017 home opponents include Air Force, Boise State, Nevada and San Jose State. Their road foes are Hawaii, New Mexico, Utah State and Wyoming.

Lewis-Palmer sophomore Alexa Smith (7) reached for a block in the final set. The Cheyenne Mountain High School volleyball team defeated Lewis-Palmer for the 4A title. The State High School Volleyball Championships wrapped up on Nov. 10, 2012 at the Denver Coliseum. (Denver Post file)

Smith, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, will have three years of eligibility.

“I’m so excited to be back in Colorado and to represent this state once again,” Smith said in a statement. “I am really looking forward to playing for coach Mahoney and being part of the program at CU. I am also very grateful to be able to play close to home and to be closer to my family.”

The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Jones was a four-star recruit coming out of Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, Calif., by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout. Colorado was one of the schools that had offered him.

Jones redshirted the 2015 season for the 9-3 Volunteers. Per transfer rules, he will sit out 2016 before he is able to play. He has four years of eligibility.

At Tennessee, Jones played behind junior starter Joshua Dobbs and fellow freshman Quinten Dormady. The Vols’ quarterback situation becomes more cluttered next year with high school senior Jarrett Guarantano — ranked among the best dual-threat QBs in the country — already committing for the class of 2016.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.